Hasta La Gadget!

Old school DJs everywhere (myself included) are weeping right now: Panasonic, parent company of Technics, announced last week that they would stop production on their long-running series of analog turntables, including the legendary Technics SL-1200 series.

The SL-1200 line of turntables have been a favorite for DJs who spin records for the past 30 years, and Technics had been updating it every couple of years, but according to a statement,  Panasonic cites “a decline in demand for these analog products and also the growing difficulty of procuring key analog components necessary to sustain production” as the rationale behind their decision.

It’s no secret that DJs of both the home and club varieties have been for years moving steadily to CDs and digital DJ equipment that require only mp3 players, hard drives, and laptops. For those DJs who still use records primarily for or in addition to digital equipment for their sets, there are always other companies like Stanton and Numark, but it won’t be long before they follow suit. The turntable, unless it’s a USB turntable, may well become a relic of an analog age.

[via SlashGear]